Memory › Paramnesia (Distortion of Memory) › Distortion of Recall

Retrospective Falsification

Retrospective falsification is the unintentional colouring of memory by a person's current emotional state, so that past experiences are recalled in a way that fits how they feel now rather than how things actually were. A person in a depressed mood, for example, may recall a whole period of their life as an unbroken run of failure, having genuinely forgotten or downplayed the successes that were also there.

This has traditionally been described as unintentional, arising simply from memory being filtered through the person's present emotional, experiential, and cognitive state, rather than through any deliberate wish to distort the past; and it is closely linked to both insight and suggestibility, being more pronounced in those where either is limited.

Recognition features

• Past events are recalled in a way that is systematically coloured by current mood, rather than reflecting what actually happened
• Can persist even after recovery from the episode that originally produced the distortion
• Tends to be more pronounced in those who are highly suggestible
• Any psychiatric illness can produce this pattern, not only depression, though depression is a particularly common and clear example

Eliciting it at interview

• Where possible, gently compare the person's account of the past against collateral information or documented history
• Ask about the person's current mood alongside their account of the past, since a close match between current emotional tone and the flavour of the recalled memories is characteristic
• Note whether the distorted account persists after mood has improved, since this can suggest a firmer overlay than a purely transient mood effect

Distinguishing features

• Differs from false memory in that a real past event is being recalled, just distorted in tone and emphasis, rather than an entirely fictitious event being constructed
• Differs from confabulation in that there is no organic memory gap being filled; the memory exists but has been coloured by mood
• The systematic direction of the distortion (matching current mood) is a distinguishing and clinically useful feature

Common misconceptions

• That a person describing their past in unusually negative terms during a depressive episode is being deliberately dramatic; this pattern is a well-recognised, unintentional feature of the illness itself
• That retrospective falsification always resolves the moment mood improves; it can persist for some time even after the original episode has passed

Related phenomena

Distortion of Recall · False Memory

Practice this

A patient in a depressed mood recalls an entire period of her life as an unbroken run of failure, having genuinely forgotten or downplayed the real successes that were also part of that time. What is this? · Asked about a specific weekend last year, a patient confidently describes attending a family wedding in detail, an event that, on checking, never took place, with no other explanation offered for the gap in his actual memory of that time. Before revealing the answer: is this retrospective falsification? · A patient's account of a past event turns out to be inaccurate. Before revealing the answer, decide what distinguishes a false memory from retrospective falsification. · A patient's account of their own past has been altered to fit their current state. Before revealing the answer, decide what distinguishes a retrospective delusion from retrospective falsification. · A patient's account of their past does not match what actually happened. Before revealing the answer, decide what distinguishes retrospective falsification from confabulation. · You suspect a patient's account of their past may show retrospective falsification. Before revealing the answer, decide how you would assess for this. · Explain why the direction of distortion in retrospective falsification is described as clinically useful.

Illustration

Now several months into treatment for depression and much improved, a 33-year-old woman is surprised, on rereading her old diary, to find cheerful, detailed accounts of a holiday she had come to remember, with complete conviction, as miserable and disappointing throughout.

References

• Casey, P. & Kelly, B. (2019). Fish's Clinical Psychopathology, 4th ed. Ch. 5, 'Disorders of Memory'.